Western Newfoundland man given four years in prison for sexually abusing daughter, stepdaughter

A western Newfoundland man convicted of sexually abusing his daughter and stepdaughter has been sent to prison for four years.

The 57-year-old, who cannot be name by order of the court because his relationship to the victims would also identify them, was sentenced by Justice David Hurley in Newfoundland Supreme Court in Corner Brook Monday morning.

The man had been found guilty in April, following a judge-alone trial. Hurley had heard submissions on sentencing from both the Crown and defence in June.

Crown prosecutor Trina Simms had asked for a prison term of between four and five years, while defence lawyer Mary Boulos had asked for between 30 months to three years of incarceration.

At trial, Hurley heard the girls were between the ages of 12 and 14 when the man inappropriately touched them. The abuse of the biological daughter took place on multiple occasions between 2008-09 and the court was told the incidents were too numerous to quantify.

The court heard of four incidents involving the younger stepdaughter that happened between 2012-13.

In most of the incidents, the man would visit the girls in their bedrooms and touch them. The court heard of at least one incident involving him carrying out brief oral sex.

While the incidents involving the biological daughter were more frequent and more physically intrusive, Hurley gave the man two years for each of the two counts of sexual assault he was found guilty of.